A hawk moved in and began picking them off, one each day, until they were all gone. Cameron spends as much time as I do researching and updating Rick Steves guidebooks. On his latest trip, Cameron has been working on our France guidebook and reporting from the field. I had one particularly lengthy, but very enjoyable, interaction at a countryside hotel near the Dordogne River Valley, called Moulin de Fresquet. The place is less a hotel than an enchanting fantasyland. Do you know what happened to Karen Brown?
In the s and early s, Karen Brown wrote a series of guidebooks highlighting romantic, upscale, characteristic inns. Since Karen and I are both in the guidebook biz, he figured maybe I knew her. You know, they worry. Cameron co-authors several of my guidebooks, and is one of our most prolific in-house writers. Be sure to visit his blog for his frank appraisal , and to enjoy much more of his hard-hitting and insightful reporting. My daughter Jackie continues her blog reporting on her Southeast Asian adventure.
Here are a few random bits from her latest entry. After reading these excerpts, you can head on over to get the full story of her first day ever in that amazing hemisphere:. From what I have heard from friends, pop culture, and Eat, Pray, Love , Bali was going to be heaven on earth. My first evening here, however, was less than blissful.
Airport ATMs that take Visa — all broken. Where you going? But then they would follow me. Dude, no means no. Imagine streams of motorcycles and cars braiding in and out. No one bothers to check their blind spots. We were fairly warned: Kuta is where Aussies go to party. We somehow found the exception: a quirky local surfer party. Balinese surfing instructors rocking Billabong and long wavy locks. Love it. As a father, I am so excited that our two twentysomething children, Andy and Jackie, are embarking on a one-month adventure in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand.
Jackie is a great writer, and Andy is an expert at stirring up fun with his video camera rolling. Jackie had an overnight layover in Hong Kong on the way to Bali.
